Cop who fatally shot DJ Henry revises story

The father of DJ Henry, a college student shot dead by an upstate New York police officer, says the recent court testimony given by the officer who shot his son contradicts previous explanations of the event given by police.

By Justin Graeber

The Enterprise, Brockton, MA

By Justin Graeber

Posted Sep. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 1, 2012 at 1:10 AM

By Justin Graeber

Posted Sep. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 1, 2012 at 1:10 AM

EASTON

» Social News

The father of Danroy “DJ” Henry says the recent sworn testimony given by the officer who shot his son contradicts previous explanations of the event given by police.

Officer Aaron Hess, who fired the bullets that killed DJ Henry, a Pace University football player, outside an upstate New York bar on Oct. 17, 2010, was recently deposed in a civil suit the Henry family has filed against him and the Pleasantville, N.Y., Police Department. Earlier, a grand jury declined to indict Hess on criminal charges.

Danroy Henry of Easton, DJ’s father, said Friday that police originally claimed his son struck several police officers with his car and that Hess fired to protect people in the car’s path. Henry says that story is now contradicted by Hess’s testimony.

“(DJ) didn’t hit anybody. He wasn’t speeding. Hess has now acknowledged there was nobody in the roadway behind him,” Henry said. “What DJ probably saw ... was a guy literally running into the path of his car and opened fire almost immediately.”

Previously released court records of witness accounts seem to indicate DJ Henry thought police were asking him to move the car out of a fire lane. Police originally said he was driving at them.

“What we claim happened is increasingly being supported by the facts,” Henry said.

In his deposition, Hess says he saw DJ Henry’s vehicle leave the fire lane and Hess thought he saw an officer “off balance,” then that officer yelled, “stop that car!”

Hess said that although his gun was drawn, he did not make the decision to fire until he felt the driver, Henry, was trying to throw him off the car. He could not recall, when pressed, how long he had been on the hood of the car before he opened fire.

Danroy Henry finds that disturbing.

“If you’re going to stop a car, give the car time to stop,” he said. “He gave our son no chance.”

Henry said the Department of Justice is looking into the case and could still bring federal criminal charges against Hess, although Henry added he hasn’t had any specific communication with anyone from the DOJ.

“We hope that they issue a criminal indictment and prosecute him criminally,” he said. “That is our single biggest hope here.”